JP3183819U - Endoscope insertion part - Google Patents

Abstract

An endoscope insertion portion that can facilitate assembly work and has a high component reuse rate after disassembly work is provided.
A bending piece 20B and a connecting pipe 57A are joined together using a joining ring 61. A locking hole 63 is formed in the bending piece 20B. The connecting pipe 57A has elastic pieces 66a to 66h, and the elastic pieces 66a and 66c have locking claws 68 formed therein. The outer peripheral surface 64a of the bending piece 20B is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the connecting pipe 57A, the locking claw 68 is locked to the locking hole 63, and the elastic pieces 66a and 66c cover the locking hole 63. The joining ring 61 is attached to an engagement holding position in which the inner peripheral surface 61a is fitted to the outer peripheral surface 67a of the connecting pipe 57A and the engagement claw 68 and the cylinder center direction are aligned. As a result, separation of the locking claw 68 and the locking hole 63 is restricted.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope insertion portion.

  Conventionally, examination using an endoscope has been widely used in the medical field. The endoscope includes an insertion portion that is inserted into a patient's body and an operation portion that is operated by an operator. The insertion portion is located at the distal end, and includes a distal end portion incorporating an image pickup device such as a CCD or CMOS image sensor, a bending portion connected to the proximal end of the distal end portion, and a proximal end of the bending portion. A flexible portion having flexibility, and the distal end portion is directed to the observation object by bending the bending portion.

  The bending part is a structure in which a plurality of metal ring-shaped bending pieces (also called node rings) are connected, and the outer peripheral surface of the bending piece is covered with a net braided with a metal wire called a blade, The outer periphery of the blade is covered with a cylindrical rubber (called angle rubber) which is a resin outer shell. The distal end portion has a distal end portion main body to which an imaging element or the like is attached. When the distal end portion and the bending portion are connected, the bending piece on the most distal end side of the bending portion and the distal end portion main body are joined.

  The flexible part is made of a metal spiral tube made of stainless steel or the like, and a metal blade is covered on the outer peripheral surface of the spiral tube in the same manner as the curved part. Cylindrical connection tubes are formed at the tip and the base end of the spiral tube. The outer periphery of the blade is covered with a resin outer skin by an extrusion molding method. When connecting the bending portion and the flexible portion, the bending piece closest to the proximal end of the bending portion and the connecting tube on the distal end side of the flexible portion are joined.

  In the field of endoscopes, it is desired to reduce the diameter of the insertion portion, and there are no peripheral parts around the joint portion of the cylindrical parts constituting the endoscope insertion portion such as the distal end body, the bending piece, and the connecting pipe. Except for some models, there is no space for screwing. Therefore, various endoscope insertion portions that eliminate the use of mounting screws have been proposed. In the joint structure for an endoscope insertion tube described in Patent Document 1, the outer peripheral surface of the other cylindrical part is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of one cylindrical part, and the gap in the fitting part is filled with solder. It is made to join.

  Patent Document 2 describes an endoscope having a bending piece, a connecting pipe for a soft part, and a connection holding member made of a metal ring. The bending piece and the connecting pipe are provided with arc-shaped connecting part pieces formed by notching them in the axial direction with a uniform width corresponding to a predetermined length, and the arc-shaped connecting part pieces are notched to the other part. In this state, the connection holding member is fitted to both the arc-shaped connecting part pieces, and further fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the arc-shaped connecting part piece using an adhesive or soldering.

  In Patent Document 3, engaging claws are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the proximal end portion of the bending piece and the distal end portion of the soft portion, and the concave portions engaging with the engaging claws are formed on the inner peripheral surface. An endoscope with a connecting ring formed on a surface is described. Patent Document 4 describes an endoscope having a caulking portion at a rear end portion of a bending piece and having a circumferential groove formed in a connection member (connection pipe) of a soft portion, and the bending piece is fitted into the connection member. The caulking part is inserted into the circumferential groove by caulking, and the caulking part is joined.

  On the other hand, in the endoscope, when the flexibility to be inserted into the patient's body is reduced, or when durability is reduced due to repeated washing and disinfection, etc., after being disassembled into the tip part, curved part, flexible part, It is essential to perform repairs and maintenance. Since each part of the endoscope insertion portion is expensive, it is required to reuse each part that has been repaired and maintained.

JP 2009-11442 A JP-A-9-236588 JP-A-9-135807 JP-A-5-277590

  However, in the endoscope insertion part using the soldering and the adhesive described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is necessary to remove the solder, the adhesive, etc. during the disassembling work. There is a problem that the main part, the bending piece, the connecting pipe, etc. are damaged and the parts cannot be reused. In order to disassemble the endoscope described in Patent Document 3, it is necessary to remove the connecting ring while releasing the engagement between the engaging claw and the recess, and this operation may damage the parts. In the endoscope described in Patent Document 4, the caulking pieces and connecting pipes that have been caulked are plastically deformed, and these parts that have been plastically deformed once and have reduced rigidity and dimensional accuracy cannot be reused.

  In addition, in the endoscope insertion portion described in Patent Document 1, the assembly work is extremely difficult, such as scraping off the solder that protrudes after joining in order to further reduce the diameter, and the work of an expert is required. It becomes. The endoscope insertion portion described in Patent Document 2 also requires operations such as adhesion and soldering after incorporating the connecting member.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope insertion section that can facilitate assembly work and has a high component reuse rate after disassembly work. .

  In order to achieve the above object, an endoscope insertion portion according to the present invention includes a first cylindrical part having a first locking part and an inner peripheral surface inserted into the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical part from the cylindrical direction. And in this fitted state, the second locking portion disposed at the position locking to the first locking portion, the second in the radial direction releasing the locking of the first and second locking portions. A second cylindrical part having an elastic piece for holding the locking part so as to be displaceable and an elastic piece on which the second locking part is located are pressed from the outside to hold the locked state of the first and second locking parts. An annular component that is movable in the direction of the center of the second cylindrical component is provided between the latch holding position and the latch release position that unlocks the first and second latching portions.

  It is preferable that a plurality of first locking portions and second locking portions are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The second cylindrical part preferably has a pair of notches formed in the cylinder center direction, and is preferably formed in a long rectangular plate shape sandwiched between the notches and the elastic piece extending in the cylinder center direction.

  It is preferable that the elastic piece has a position restricting projection that restricts movement from the latch holding position to the latch release position. It is preferable that the elastic piece has a retaining protrusion that prevents the elastic piece from coming off from the retaining position.

  The first locking part is preferably a locking hole, and the second locking part is preferably a locking claw that protrudes inward from the elastic piece and locks into the locking hole. Or it is preferable that a 2nd latching | locking part is a latching hole and a 1st latching | locking part protrudes outside from an elastic piece, and is a latching claw latched in a latching hole. Moreover, it is preferable that the first cylindrical part, the second cylindrical part, and the annular part are made of stainless steel.

  One of the first and second cylindrical parts is a bending piece located on the most proximal side of the bending portion connecting a plurality of bending pieces, and the other of the first and second cylindrical parts is flexible. It is preferable that the connecting pipe is attached to the distal end side of the soft part.

  One of the first and second cylindrical parts is a tip body that is incorporated in the tip part, and the other of the first and second cylindrical parts is located on the most tip side of the bending part that connects a plurality of bending pieces. It is preferable that it is a bending piece.

  According to the present invention, assembly work can be facilitated, and the component reuse rate after disassembly can be increased.

It is a side view which shows the external appearance of the endoscope of this invention. It is a front view of the front-end | tip part of the insertion part of this invention. It is sectional drawing of a front-end | tip part and a curved part. It is sectional drawing of a curved part and a soft part. It is a perspective view of a curved part and a soft part. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the junction part of a curved part and a soft part. It is a base end side perspective view of the bending piece located in the most base end side of a bending part. It is a perspective view of the connecting pipe provided in the front end side of the soft part. It is sectional drawing orthogonal to the cylinder center direction in the junction part of a curved part and a soft part. It is explanatory drawing explaining the process (B) which shifts the position in a cylinder center direction of an engagement nail | claw for a joining ring (A), and engages an engagement nail | claw with an engagement hole. The engaging claw is engaged with the engaging hole, the engaging hole is covered with the elastic piece (A), and the joining ring is slid to the position where the engaging claw and the cylinder center position are aligned (B). It is explanatory drawing to do. It is a perspective view which shows the state which engaged the engagement nail | claw with the engagement hole and covered the engagement hole with the elastic piece at the process of joining a bending piece and a connecting pipe. It is a perspective view which shows the state which joined the bending piece and the connecting pipe. It is a perspective view which shows the junction part of the front-end | tip part and curved part of 2nd Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the junction part of the front-end | tip part and curved part of 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the bending piece and joining ring of 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the bending piece of 3rd Embodiment. It is a perspective view of a connecting pipe and a joining ring of a 3rd embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
In FIG. 1, an endoscope 2 includes an insertion portion 10 that is inserted into a body, an operation portion 11 that is connected to a proximal end portion of the insertion portion 10, and a universal cord 12 that is connected to the operation portion 11. Prepare. The universal code 12 includes an endoscope 2, a processor device (not shown) that processes an image signal captured by the endoscope 2, and a light source device that emits illumination light guided to the endoscope 2 (see FIG. A signal cable 38 (see FIG. 3) for transmitting image signals and control signals, a light guide for guiding illumination light, and the like are provided.

  The insertion portion 10 includes a distal end portion 13, a bendable bending portion 14 provided continuously with the proximal end of the distal end portion 13, and a flexible flexible portion 15 provided continuously with the proximal end of the bending portion 14. Have. The flexible portion 15 has a length of several meters in order to allow the distal end portion 13 to reach a target position in the body.

  The bending portion 14 is formed by connecting a plurality of (for example, 16) bending pieces 20 in series. The leading bending piece 20 is fixed to the distal end portion 13, and the trailing bending piece 20 is attached to the flexible portion 15. It is fixed. An operation wire 45 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) that extends from the operation unit 11 to the bending unit 14 through the flexible unit 15 is connected to the bending piece 20.

  Two sets of the operation wires 45 are provided for the upper and lower sides and the left and right sides, and the base end side of each operation wire 45 is interlocked with the operation of the upper and lower angle knobs 21 and the left and right angle knobs 22 provided in the operation unit 11. It is wrapped around a rotating pulley. When the vertical angle knob 21 is rotated, the vertical operation wire 45 is pushed and pulled to cause the bending portion 14 to bend in the vertical direction. When the left and right angle knob 22 is rotated, the operation wire 45 is pushed and pulled. Thus, the bending portion 14 bends in the left-right direction. Thereby, the front-end | tip part 13 can be orient | assigned to the desired direction in a body.

  The operation portion 11 is provided with a forceps inlet 23. A treatment instrument such as a forceps or a snare used for treatment of the affected part is inserted into the forceps inlet 23. The forceps inlet 23 is connected to a forceps channel 24 disposed in the insertion portion 10, and the forceps channel 24 is connected to a forceps outlet 33 (see FIG. 2) provided in the distal end portion 13.

  The operation unit 11 is provided with an air / water supply button 25 and a suction button 26. The air supply / water supply button 25 is a jet nozzle 34 (see FIG. 2) provided at the distal end portion 13 through an air / water supply channel (not shown) provided in the insertion portion 10. ) To be used for injection. The suction button 26 is operated when sucking an object to be sucked such as a body fluid or a living tissue through the forceps channel 24.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a resin-made tip cap 13a is attached to the tip of the tip portion 13. The tip cap 13a has an observation window 31, an illumination window 32, a forceps outlet 33, and a jet nozzle. 34 etc. are provided. In the back of the observation window 31, an objective optical system 35 for taking in image light of a site to be observed in the body cavity is arranged. The objective optical system 35 includes an objective lens and a prism 35a, and the optical axis of the objective optical system 35 is bent by 90 ° by the prism 35a. The image sensor 36 is disposed horizontally (the image pickup surface is parallel to the axial direction) so that the exit surface from which the image light is emitted from the prism and the image pickup surface face each other. The circuit board 37 mounts the image sensor 36 and also a drive circuit that drives the image sensor 36. A signal cable 38 made of a multi-core cable is connected to the circuit board 37. The signal cable 38 extends from the insertion portion 10 to the universal cord 12 and is connected to the processor device.

  The illumination windows 32 are provided on both sides of the observation window 31 and irradiate illumination light toward the observation site. A light guide (not shown) is disposed behind the illumination window 32. The light guide extends from the insertion portion 10 to the universal cord 12, and is connected to the light source device.

  The distal end portion 13 includes a cylindrical metal distal end portion body 41 to which an objective optical system 35, an image pickup element 36, a circuit board 37, a light guide, the vicinity of the distal end portion of the forceps channel 24, and the like are attached. A tip cap 13 a is fitted to the tip of the tip portion main body 41. A connecting portion 41 a for connecting to the leading bending piece 20 is provided at the rear end of the tip portion main body 41.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bending piece 20 is made of metal, and the plurality of bending pieces 20 are connected by a connecting pin 43 that serves as a rotation center of each bending piece 20. In the following, for convenience of explanation, among the plurality of bending pieces 20, the bending piece 20 located closest to the distal end side is referred to as a bending piece 20A, and the bending piece 14 located closest to the proximal end is referred to as a bending piece 20B. . The bending piece 20B is coupled to the connecting pipe 57A of the flexible portion 15. Each bending piece 20 is provided with a pair of tongue pieces 44 through which the connecting pin 43 is inserted, respectively, on the front end side and the rear end side except for the bending piece 20A and the bending piece 20B. When the tongue piece 44 is provided vertically on the front end side, it is provided alternately on the top and bottom and left and right so that it is provided on the left and right sides on the rear end side. In the adjacent bending pieces 20, the upper and lower or left and right tongue pieces 44 are connected to each other via a connecting pin 43.

  Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the bending piece 20, a wire guide 46 for guiding two sets of operation wires 45 for up and down and left and right within the bending portion 14 is formed. A coil pipe 47 that guides the operation wire 45 is provided in the soft portion 15. 3 and 4, only one set of operation wires 45, a wire guide 46 for guiding them, and a coil pipe 47 are shown in order to prevent the drawing from becoming complicated. As shown in FIG. 9 showing an orthogonal cross section, another set of operation wires 45, a wire guide 46 for guiding them, and a coil pipe 47 are arranged at positions shifted by about 90 ° in the circumferential direction with respect to the set of operation wires 45. Is provided.

  Two sets of operation wires 45 are slidably inserted into the wire guide 46. The distal end of the operation wire 45 is fixed to the bending piece 20A on the distal end side by brazing or the like, and the proximal end side is extended to the operation portion 11 and attached to the pulley. When the vertical angle knob 21 is rotated, a pair of vertical operation wires 45 are pushed and pulled, and each bending piece 20 rotates around a connecting pin 43 attached to the left and right tongue pieces 44. The bending portion 14 is bent in the vertical direction. When the left and right angle knobs 22 are rotated, a pair of left and right operation wires 45 are pushed and pulled, and each bending piece 20 rotates around a connecting pin 43 attached to the upper and lower tongue pieces 44, The bending portion 14 is bent in the left-right direction.

  A signal cable 38, a light guide, a forceps channel 24, and an air / water supply channel are inserted into the bending piece 20. The outer periphery of the bending piece 20 is covered with a blade 51. A metal ring 52 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the end portion of the blade 51. 3 and 4, the metal ring 52 is provided only at the base end portion of the blade 51, but may be provided at the distal end portion of the blade 51. The outer periphery of the blade 51 is covered with an angle rubber 53 that is a rubber outer skin formed in a cylindrical shape. The blade 51 is a net-like body formed by braiding a plurality of metal wires. The blade 51 covers the plurality of connected bending pieces 20 to stabilize the posture of each bending piece 20. Further, the angle rubber 53 has its inner peripheral surface in contact with the blade 51 so that the adhesion is improved. 5 and 6, the blade 51 and the angle rubber 53 are omitted in order to prevent the drawing from becoming complicated.

  The distal end side of the angle rubber 53 also covers the distal end portion body 41 of the distal end portion 13. The tip of the angle rubber 53 is fixed to the tip portion 13 by winding a thread 54. The portion around which the yarn 54 is wound is applied with a sealing material and hardened. Further, the base end side of the angle rubber 53 covers the tip end side of the soft portion 15.

  The flexible portion 15 is a spiral tube 55 formed by spirally winding a metallic strip such as stainless steel, and a net-like shape formed by braiding metal strands such as stainless steel into a net shape, covering the outer periphery of the spiral tube 55. The blade 56 is a body, connecting pipes 57A and 57B fixed to the outer peripheral surfaces of both ends of the blade 56, and a resin outer skin 58 coated on the outer periphery of the blade 56 by extrusion molding. The connecting pipe 57A is located on the distal end side of the soft part 15, and the connecting pipe 57B is located on the proximal end side of the soft part 15. The connecting tube 57A is connected to the bending portion 14, and the connecting tube 57B is connected to the operation portion 11. The connecting pipes 57 </ b> A and 57 </ b> B are fitted on the outer periphery of the blade 56, and a part thereof is covered with the outer skin together with the blade 56. In addition, as a structure of the soft part 15, the braid | blade 56 may be eliminated and the outer skin 58 may be coat | covered directly on the outer peripheral surface of the helical tube 55. FIG.

Next, referring to FIGS. 6 to 9, the bending piece 20 </ b> B (first cylindrical part) and the connecting pipe 57 </ b> A (second cylindrical part), which are cylindrical parts, are joined to each other to join the bending part 14 and the flexible part. The structure for connecting the part 15 and the joining method will be described. The cylindrical part includes a substantially cylindrical part.
In the present embodiment, the bending piece 20A and the connecting pipe 57A are joined using a joining ring 61 (annular part). The bending piece 20A, the connecting pipe 57A, and the joining ring 61 are preferably formed from stainless steel.

  The bending piece 20B is formed with four locking holes 63 (first locking portions). The locking holes 63 are arranged at the same position in the cylinder center direction of the bending piece 20 and at different positions in the circumferential direction, and are arranged at equal intervals of 90 ° in the circumferential direction in this embodiment. Further, as described above, the bending piece 20B is formed with the connecting tongue piece 44 on the distal end side. The locking hole 63 is a rectangular through-hole penetrating from the outer peripheral surface 64a of the bending piece 20B to the inner peripheral surface 64b.

  The connection pipe 57A has eight cutouts 65a to 65h (see FIG. 8) cut in the cylindrical direction with an equal width and length from the end on the front end side facing the bending piece 20B. There are eight elastic pieces 66a to 66h formed at intervals and sandwiched between these notches 65a to 65h. An inner peripheral surface 67b of the connection pipe 57A including the elastic pieces 66a to 66h is inserted and fitted into the outer peripheral surface 64a of the bending piece 20B from the cylindrical center direction, and the joining ring 61 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface 67a of the connection pipe 57A. The inner peripheral surface 61a is fitted. The outer peripheral surface 67a of the connecting pipe 57A is covered with the outer skin 58 as described above, but the outer skin 58 is formed so as not to be covered in the space where the elastic pieces 66a to 66h and the joining ring 61 are fitted. Has been.

  The elastic pieces 66a to 66h are arranged at the same position in the cylinder center direction of the connecting pipe 57A and at different positions in the circumferential direction. In the present embodiment, the elastic pieces 66a to 66h are arranged at regular intervals of 45 ° in the circumferential direction. . The elastic pieces 66a to 66h are formed in a long rectangular plate shape extending in the cylinder center direction of the connecting pipe 57A.

  Of the elastic pieces 66a to 66h, the elastic pieces 66a, 66c, 66e, and 66g are formed with locking claws 68 (second locking portions) that protrude inward from the inner peripheral surface 67b. The four locking claws 68 are arranged at the same position in the tube center direction of the connecting pipe 57A, and are arranged on every other elastic piece 66a, 66c, 66e, 66g among the elastic pieces 66a to 66h. Therefore, they are arranged at equal intervals of 90 ° in the circumferential direction.

  The locking claw 68 is in a position to be locked in the locking hole 63 when the outer peripheral surface 64a of the bending piece 20B is inserted and fitted into the inner peripheral surface 67b of the connecting pipe 57A from the cylinder center direction. Arranged. The elastic pieces 66a, 66c, 66e, and 66g hold the locking claw 68 so that the locking claw 68 can be displaced in the radial direction to release the locking with the locking hole 63. The elastic pieces 66a, 66c, 66e, and 66g are arranged at positions that cover the locking hole 63 when the locking claw 68 is locked to lock the locking hole 63. Further, on the proximal end side of the locking claw 68, a stepped portion 67c is formed in which the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface 67b is reduced.

  An inclined surface 68 a (see FIGS. 10 and 11) is formed on the distal end side of the locking claw 68. When the outer peripheral surface 64a of the bending piece 20B is fitted to the inner peripheral surface 67b of the connecting pipe 57A, the inclined surface 68a contacts the base end portion 64c of the bending piece 20B, and the elastic pieces 66a, 66c, 66e, 66g The base end 64c is overcome by elastic deformation.

  A stopper protrusion 69 that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface 67a is formed at the tip of each of the elastic pieces 66a to 66h. This restricts the joining ring 61 fitted to the outer peripheral surface 67a of the connection pipe 57A from being detached to the distal end side of the connection pipe 57A.

  Of the elastic pieces 66a to 66h, the elastic pieces 66a and 66e are formed with position restricting projections 70 protruding outward from the outer peripheral surface 67a. The two position restricting protrusions 70 are arranged at the same position in the cylinder center direction of the connection pipe 57A, and are arranged on every third elastic piece 66a, 66e among the elastic pieces 66a to 66h. Therefore, they are arranged at equal intervals of 180 ° in the circumferential direction.

  The position restricting projection 70 is disposed on the proximal side with respect to the locking claw 68 in the tube center direction, and the distance between the position restricting projection 70 and the retaining projection 69 in the tube center direction is the tube center direction of the joining ring 61. It is arranged according to the length. In addition, inclined surfaces are formed on the distal end side and the proximal end side of the position restricting protrusion 70.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the joining ring 61 is formed in an annular shape having a uniform length in the cylinder center direction, and the inner peripheral surface 61a is fitted to the outer peripheral surface 67a of the connecting pipe 57A, and the locking claw is engaged. 68 and the center of the connecting pipe 57A between the locking holding position in which the positions of the connecting pipe 57A in the cylinder center direction are matched and the locking release position retracted from the locking holding position to the proximal end side of the connecting pipe 57A. It is mounted so as to be movable in the direction. In the locking holding position, the joining ring 61 holds the locking state in which the locking claws 68 are locked to the locking holes 63 by holding the elastic pieces 66a, 66c, 66e, and 66g from the outside. , The elastic pieces 66a, 66c, 66e, 66g are allowed to elastically deform radially outward to release the locking claw 68 from the locking hole 63. Although omitted in FIG. 9, as described above, the signal cable 38, the light guide, the forceps channel 24, the air / water supply channel, and the like are inserted into the bending piece 20 </ b> B.

  The joining ring 61 is provided with a retaining protrusion 69 on the distal end side in the cylinder center direction and a position restricting protrusion 70 on the proximal end side in the locking holding position. As a result, the position restricting projection 70 restricts the joining ring 61 from moving from the latch holding position to the latch releasing position, and the retaining projection 69 connects the joining ring 61 from the latch holding position. Dropping out to the tip side of the tube 57A is restricted.

  An assembly process for joining the bending portion 14 and the flexible portion 15 by joining the bending piece 20B and the connecting pipe 57A using the joining ring 61 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 10A, the inner peripheral surface 61a of the joining ring 61 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface 67a of the connecting pipe 57A, and the joining ring 61 is engaged on the proximal end side of the position restricting projection 70. In this state, the outer peripheral surface 64a of the bending piece 20B is inserted and fitted into the inner peripheral surface 67b of the connecting pipe 57A from the cylinder center direction. At this time, the operation wire 45, the coil pipe 47, and the like are inserted through the bending portion 14 and the flexible portion 15. When the outer peripheral surface 64a of the bending piece 20B is fitted to the inner peripheral surface 67b of the connecting pipe 57A, the inclined surface 68a of the locking claw 68 comes into contact with the proximal end portion 64c of the bending piece 20B.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, the elastic pieces 66a, 66c, 66e, and 66g that have received the pressure from the base end portion 64c that is in contact with the inclined surface 68a are elastically deformed outward. Thereby, the latching claw 68 gets over the base end part 64c. Then, when the stepped portion 67c is pushed to a position where the base end portion 64c of the bending piece 20B comes into contact, the locking claw 68 locks the locking hole 63, as shown in FIGS. The locking hole 63 is covered with the elastic pieces 66a, 66c, 66e, and 66g.

  11B and 13, when the joining ring 61 is slid to the distal end side, the joining ring 61 gets over the position restricting projection 70 and changes from the unlocked position to the locked holding position. Moving. Since the joining ring 61 restrains the elastic pieces 66a, 66c, 66e, and 66g from the outside, the engagement state between the engagement claw 68 and the engagement hole 63 is maintained. Further, the position of the joining ring 61 in the cylinder center direction is regulated by the retaining projection part 69 and the position regulation projection part 70. Thereby, the ring 61 for joining is attached to the bending piece 20B and the connecting pipe 57A, and both are joined.

  As described above, the bending portion 14 and the flexible portion 15 can be easily assembled by fitting the outer peripheral surface 64a of the bending piece 20B to the inner peripheral surface 67b of the connecting pipe 57A and sliding the position of the joining ring 61. Can be linked.

  On the other hand, when disassembling the bending portion 14 and the flexible portion 15 for maintenance or repair, first, the position of the angle rubber 53 is shifted so that the joining ring 61 and the elastic pieces 66a to 66h are exposed. . Then, by moving the joining ring 61 over the position restricting projection 70, the joining of the bending piece 20B and the connecting pipe 57A can be released and separated. For this reason, it is possible to prevent parts from being damaged and to easily perform disassembly work. And after the maintenance or repair of each component, most of the curved portion 14 and the flexible portion 15 can be reused.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first and second embodiments described above, the endoscope insertion portion that joins the bending portion and the flexible portion by joining the bending piece and the connecting pipe with an annular part is taken as an example, but in the second embodiment, An endoscope insertion portion that joins the distal end portion main body and the most distal bending piece to connect the distal end portion and the bending portion will be described. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description is omitted.

  With reference to FIGS. 14 to 16, in an endoscope insertion portion 80 having a distal end portion 81 and a bending portion 82, a distal end portion main body 83 (first cylindrical component) and a bending piece 84 positioned on the most distal end side. A structure and a joining method for joining the tip part 81 and the curved part 82 by joining (second cylindrical part) will be described. In the present embodiment, the tip body 83 and the bending piece 84 are joined using a joining ring 86 (annular part). The distal end body 83, the bending piece 84, and the joining ring 86 are preferably formed from stainless steel. 14 to 16, the blade 51, the angle rubber 53, the thread 54, and the like are omitted.

  Two locking holes 87 (first locking portions) are formed in the connection portion 83 a provided at the proximal end of the distal end portion main body 83. The locking holes 87 are arranged at the same position in the cylinder center direction of the tip end body 83 and at different positions in the circumferential direction. In the present embodiment, the locking holes 87 are arranged at equal intervals of 180 ° in the circumferential direction. The locking hole 87 is a rectangular through hole penetrating from the outer peripheral surface 83b of the connecting portion 83a to the inner peripheral surface 83c.

  The bending piece 84 is formed with four notches 88a to 88d that are notched in the tube center direction with an equal width and length from the end on the tip side facing the tip portion main body 83, and a pair of notches 88a. , 88b and an elastic piece 89b sandwiched between a pair of notches 88c, 88d. The outer peripheral surface 83b of the tip end body 83 is inserted and fitted into the inner peripheral surface 90b of the bending piece 84 including the elastic pieces 89a and 89b from the cylinder center direction, and the outer peripheral surface 90a of the bending piece 84 is joined to the outer peripheral surface 90a. The inner peripheral surface 86a of the ring 86 is fitted.

  The elastic pieces 89a and 89b are arranged at the same position in the cylinder center direction of the bending piece 84 and at different positions in the circumferential direction. In the present embodiment, the elastic pieces 89a and 89b are arranged at equal intervals of 180 ° in the circumferential direction. The elastic pieces 89 a and 89 b are formed in a long rectangular plate shape extending in the cylinder center direction of the bending piece 84.

  The elastic pieces 89a and 89b are respectively formed with locking claws 91 (second locking portions) protruding inward from the inner peripheral surface 90b. The two locking claws 91 are arranged at the same position in the cylinder center direction of the bending piece 84. When the outer peripheral surface 83 b of the tip end body 83 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface 90 b of the bending piece 84, the locking claw 91 is disposed at a position where the locking claw 91 is engaged with the locking hole 87. The elastic pieces 89 a and 89 b hold the locking claw 91 so that the locking claw 91 can be displaced in the radial direction to release the locking with the locking hole 87. The elastic pieces 89 a and 89 b are arranged at positions that cover the locking holes 87 when the locking claws 91 are locked to lock the locking holes 87.

  Similar to the elastic pieces 66a and 66e of the first embodiment, a stopper protrusion 92 that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface 90a is formed at the tip of the elastic pieces 89a and 89b. This restricts the joining ring 86 fitted to the outer peripheral surface 90 a of the bending piece 84 from being detached to the distal end side of the bending piece 84. The retaining projection 92 is also formed on the outer peripheral surface 90a except for the elastic pieces 89a and 89b.

  The elastic pieces 89a and 89b are formed with position restricting protrusions 93 protruding outward from the outer peripheral surface 90a. The two position restricting projections 93 are arranged at the same position in the cylinder center direction of the bending piece 84. The position restricting projection 93 is disposed closer to the proximal end side in the tube center direction than the locking claw 91, and the distance from the retaining projection 92 in the tube center direction is the tube center direction of the joining ring 86. It is arranged according to the length.

  The joining ring 86 is formed in an annular shape having a uniform length in the cylinder center direction, and the inner peripheral surface 86 a is fitted to the outer peripheral surface 90 a of the bending piece 84, and the cylinder of the locking claw 91 and the bending piece 84. It is attached so as to be movable in the cylinder center direction of the bending piece 84 between the locking holding position in which the positions in the center direction are matched and the locking release position retracted from the locking holding position to the proximal end side of the bending piece 84. ing. In the engagement holding position, the joining ring 86 holds the elastic pieces 89a and 89b from the outside, holds the engagement state where the engagement claw 91 engages with the engagement hole 87, and releases the engagement from the engagement holding position. When moved to the position, the elastic pieces 89a and 89b are allowed to elastically deform radially outward, and the locking claw 91 and the locking hole 87 are unlocked.

  The joining ring 86 is provided with a retaining protrusion 92 on the distal end side in the cylinder center direction and a position restricting protrusion 93 on the proximal end side in the locking holding position. Accordingly, the position restricting projection 93 restricts the joining ring 86 from moving from the latch holding position to the latch releasing position, and the retaining projection 92 is curved from the latch holding position. It is restricted that the piece 84 drops to the front end side.

  An assembly process for joining the distal end portion 81 and the bending portion 82 by joining the distal end portion main body 83 and the bending piece 84 using the joining ring 86 will be described. As shown in FIG. 15, the inner circumferential surface 86a of the joining ring 86 is fitted to the outer circumferential surface 90a of the bending piece 84, and the joining ring 86 is fitted to the locking holding position on the proximal side of the position restricting projection 93. In this state, the outer peripheral surface 83b of the tip end portion body 83 is inserted and fitted into the inner peripheral surface 90b of the bending piece 84 from the cylinder center direction.

  The elastic pieces 89a and 89b are elastically deformed outward, the locking claw 91 gets over the base end portion 85d of the distal end body 83, the locking claw 91 locks the locking hole 87, and the locking hole 87 is the elastic piece. It is covered with 89a and 89b. When the joining ring 86 is slid to the distal end side, the joining ring 86 gets over the position restricting projection 93 and moves to the locking holding position. Since the joining ring 86 holds the elastic pieces 89a and 89b from the outside, the engagement state between the engagement claw 68 and the engagement hole 63 is maintained. Further, the position of the joining ring 86 in the cylinder center direction is restricted by the retaining protrusion 92 and the position restricting protrusion 93. Thereby, the joining ring 86 is attached to the tip end body 83 and the bending piece 84, and both are joined.

[Third Embodiment]
In the first and second embodiments, the locking hole is formed in the first cylindrical part as the first locking part, and the locking claw is formed in the second cylindrical part as the second locking part. In the third embodiment, a locking claw is formed in the first cylindrical part as the first locking part, and a locking hole is formed in the second cylindrical part as the second locking part. The bending piece 101 (first cylindrical part) and the connecting pipe 102 (second cylindrical part) shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 are joined using a joining ring 106. The bending piece 101, the connecting tube 102, and the joining ring 106 are preferably formed from stainless steel.

  The bending piece 101 is formed with four locking claws 103 (first locking portions) protruding from the outer peripheral surface 101a. In the connecting pipe 102, the outer peripheral surface 101a of the bending piece 101 is inserted and fitted into the inner peripheral surface 102b from the cylindrical center direction. The connecting pipe 102 is formed with elastic pieces 104a to 104h that protrude in the cylinder center direction from the end on the distal end side. Similarly to the elastic pieces 66a to 66h of the first embodiment, the elastic pieces 104a to 104h are formed in a long rectangular plate shape that is sandwiched between a plurality of notches formed in the connecting pipe 102 and extends in the cylinder center direction. Has been. Locking holes 105 (second locking portions) are formed in the elastic pieces 104a, 104c, 104e, and 104g, respectively. The four locking claws 103 and the locking holes 105 are arranged at equal intervals of 90 ° in the circumferential direction. The elastic pieces 104a, 104c, 104e, and 104g are engaged with the engaging claw 103 with the engaging hole 105 engaged with the inner peripheral surface 102b of the connecting pipe 102 and the outer peripheral surface 101a of the bending piece 101. Cover the pawl 103. Further, the elastic pieces 104a to 104h are formed with the retaining protrusions 69 and the position restricting protrusions 70 similar to the elastic pieces 66a to 66h of the first embodiment.

  The joining ring 106 is formed in an annular shape with a uniform length in the cylinder center direction, the inner peripheral surface 106 a is fitted to the outer peripheral surface 102 a of the connection pipe 102, and the locking hole 105 and the tube of the connection pipe 102 are connected. It is attached so as to be movable in the tube center direction of the connection tube 102 between the lock holding position in which the positions in the center direction are matched and the lock release position retracted from the lock holding position to the proximal end side of the connection tube 102. ing. The joining ring 106 holds the elastic pieces 104a, 104c, 104e, and 104g from the outside in the locked holding position, holds the locked state in which the locking holes 105 are locked with the locking claws 103, and the locked holding position. , The elastic pieces 104a, 104c, 104e, 104g are allowed to elastically deform radially outward, and the locking between the locking hole 105 and the locking claw 103 is released. Thereby, like the said 1st and 2nd embodiment, the ring 106 for joining is attached to the bending piece 101 and the connecting pipe 102, and both are joined.

  In the first and third embodiments, four locking holes and four locking claws are provided, and in the second embodiment, two locking holes and two locking claws are provided at equal intervals. The present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of locking holes and locking claws may be appropriately arranged at equal intervals, and in particular, there are two, four, six locking holes and locking claws. And a multiple of two.

  In each of the above embodiments, the cylindrical part located on the distal end side is the first cylindrical part, and the cylindrical part located on the proximal end side is the second cylindrical part. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cylindrical part located on the proximal end side may be the first cylindrical part, and the cylindrical part located on the distal end side may be the second cylindrical part. In this case, the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical component located on the proximal end side is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the second cylindrical component located on the distal end side, and the same annular component as in each of the above embodiments is used. To join them together.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in combination with each other within a consistent range.

2 Endoscope 10, 80, 110 Insertion part 13, 111 Tip part 14, 81, 112 Bending part 15, 82 Soft part 20B, 101 Bending piece (first cylindrical part)
41, 83 Tip body (first cylindrical part)
57A, 102 Connecting pipe (second cylindrical part)
61,86,106 Ring for joining (annular parts)
84 Bending piece (second cylindrical part)

Claims (10)

A first cylindrical part having a first locking part;
An inner peripheral surface is inserted and fitted into the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical part from the cylinder center direction, and in this fitted state, a second latch disposed at a position to be latched with the first latch portion. Part, a second cylindrical part having an elastic piece that displaceably holds the second locking part in the radial direction for releasing the locking of the first and second locking parts,
A latch holding position for holding the latching state of the first and second latching portions by pressing the elastic piece where the second latching portion is located from the outside, and an engagement between the first and second latching portions. An endoscope insertion portion comprising: an annular part that is movable in a cylinder center direction of the second cylindrical part between a locking release position for releasing the stop.   The endoscope insertion portion according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the first locking portions and the second locking portions are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.   The second cylindrical part has a pair of notches formed in the cylinder center direction, and is formed in a long rectangular plate shape sandwiched between the notches and the elastic piece extending in the cylinder center direction. The endoscope insertion part according to 1 or 2.   The endoscope insertion portion according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the elastic piece has a position restricting protrusion that restricts movement from the latch holding position to the latch release position.   The endoscope insertion portion according to claim 4, wherein the elastic piece has a retaining protrusion that prevents the elastic piece from dropping from the locking holding position.   The said 1st latching | locking part is a latching hole, and the said 2nd latching | locking part is a latching claw which protrudes inward from the said elastic piece, and latches to the said latching hole. Endoscope insertion part.   The said 2nd latching | locking part is a latching hole, and the said 1st latching | locking part protrudes outside from the said elastic piece, and is a latching claw which latches to the said latching hole. Endoscope insertion part.   The endoscope insertion portion according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first cylindrical part, the second cylindrical part, and the annular part are made of stainless steel.   One of the first and second cylindrical parts is the bending piece located on the most proximal side of a bending portion connecting a plurality of bending pieces, and the other of the first and second cylindrical parts is The endoscope insertion portion according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the endoscope insertion portion is a connecting tube attached to a distal end side of a flexible portion having flexibility.   One of the first and second cylindrical parts is a tip part main body incorporated in a tip part, and the other of the first and second cylindrical parts is the most of a bending part connecting a plurality of bending pieces. The endoscope insertion portion according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bending piece is located on a distal end side.

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